Computing Technology Industry

Association (CompTIA) A+
Module 1: Computer components and parts
Vocabulary
Chipsets: A group of integrated circuits or chips, that are designed to work
together and usually marketed as a single product. Examples are like
motherboard (spinal cord in human reference). Physically they look different
which is called the Form Factor.

Bus: One wire or a group of wires that carry data from one place to another.
They are usually on the motherboard and integrated on it they don’t look like
red and white wires but they are wires.

Serial: Sending one bit of data at a time.

Parallel: Sending multiple bits of data at a time. (Both serial and parallel
sends data to the same place their types only determine how much data
they send)

Bits: This is the size used in a computer system and the smallest size in a
computer, we have different version of bits, Examples are: Bits, Megabits…

Bytes: This is also a size used in computer system, much bigger than bits.
The conversion for bits to bytes is 8 bits = 1 Byte.

Lane: This is two serial wires that enable the sending and receiving of data
simultaneously. So instead of having one wire send and receive data, you can
have two to send and receive data at the same time.

Note: bit is usually represented by lowercase “b” while Byte is

usually represented by uppercase”.

Chipsets
Chip: They are two major chips manufacturing company (for motherboard)
AMD and Intel. This does not mean they are the one that create the chip
but rather the one that does the main design and architecture for how the
chip will look.
We have two main chips controlling communication on a PC Motherboard.
These are:

1. Northbridge: Also called Memory Controller Hub (MCH), used for

the high data transfer devices and high-speed graphics, usually used
for the Memory (RAM).
2. Southbridge: Also called the I/O Controller Hub (ICH), used as
secondary controllers, most input/output devices, disk, drives and
basically everything else.

The Northbridge is usually above the southbridge.

Direct media Interface (DMI)/ Internal Bus: This is what connects the
Northbridge to the Southbridge.

Buses
Front Side Bus (FSB) / HyperTransport: They are the very front of the
buses and what allows the CPU (brain) to communicate with the
Northbridge and Southbridge. The two names are only because of
what Intel and AMD call it.

Memory Bus: This bus connects to the Northbridge; it is used for the
Memory to communicate with the Northbridge which is closer to the CPU.

Expansion Bus: These are all the other buses that allows us to expand the
capability of the Motherboard.

Module 2: Motherboards or Systemboard

Internal
Expansion Buses
ISA: This stands for Industry Standard Architecture. We have the one for
16 bits and the 32 bits and it allows you to connect more devices, but it
couldn’t perform it task and became more and more out of data.

PCI: This stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect. It is a new

standard with its own assigned bus space that allows the CPU to do its own
stuff and then it does its own stuff
PCIx: This is the first extension version for the PCI bus and the “x” stands
for extended. It allowed for a 32-bit extension bus.

PCIe: This is the second extension version for the PCI bus and the “e”
stands for express. This is used for some really high-end expansion bus. It
has basically replaced most other major expansion buses and what you will
mostly see. It is currently the fastest one in the market (as at 2 years ago).

Mini-PCI: This is mainly for laptops and smaller computers. It also has a
smaller architecture to fit on laptop motherboards.

AGP: This stands for Accelerated Graphics Port. This is another major
one, and it has been mostly replaced by PCIe. It was created because the
PCI wasn’t very fast to be used for graphics, and is used for displays and
graphics.

AMR & CNR: This stands for Audio/Modem Raiser. They are specifically
made to support soundcards and mostly modems.

Expansion bus Bus Width Frequency Max. Data Rate

PCI 32-bit 33 MHz 133 MB/s
266 MB/s
AGP 32-bit 1x = 66MHz 266 MB/s
2x = 66MHz 533 MB/s
(double pumped 1 GB/s
to 133MHz) 2 GB/s
4x = 66MHz
(quad pumped to
266MHz)
8x = 66MHz
(octo-pumped to
533MHz)
PCIe Serial, 1-16 full- Version 1 = 2.5 250 MB/s per
duplex lanes GHz lane
Version 2 = 5 500 MB/s per
GHz lane
Version 3 = 8GHz 1 GB/s per
lane
PCMCIA: This stands for PC Memory Card International Association. It
is a PC card specifically for laptops and used to expand about anything and is
plugged in the hole on the

side of the laptop

 Storage Technology
PATA / IDE: It stands for Parallel AT Attachment. It is also called
Integrated Drive Electronics which is an older name. There are usually
are total of 2 PATA per Motherboard.

Characteristics of a PATA are:

1. It is a 40-pin bus and the power is in a separate connector called a

Molex Connector
2. It is keyed, which means can only be inputted in a certain way and not
upside down.
3. It doesn’t not have equal width at both ends
4. The red cord at one end usually should point towards the power source
on the device.
5. It can connect to up to two devices, including optical devices, hard
drives etc.

SATA: It stands for Serial AT Attachment. Data here travels in a different

way than PATA in a serial way. It connects only to a single device, hard drive,
optical drive etc.

Characteristics of a SATA are:

1. It is much smaller and compact and has its own power connector cord
which I called a SATA Power Connector.
External
This are called Input/Output Port because they allow data to go in and out
of the computer.

I/O Older Ports

PS/2: This used to be the main way to connect keyboard and mouse,
Keyboard was Purple and Green was Mouse. It wasn’t hot-Swapable, if
you pulled your keyboard or mouse while turned on you had to reconnect it.

Serial: This are port used for sending data serially, we have two different
types which are the 9-pin and the 15-pin serial port and is mostly used for
connecting external modems and is usually called Gaming Port (in A+ exam)
like Joysticks.

Something else to take note of is the shape, we have the D-Shaped which is
called the DB Connector.

They are furthered classified into two types which is the Male Connector
with pins and the Female Connector with holes.

Parallel: This is the second type for the Serial and it mostly for printers. It
is also called the LPT Port. It is the DB25 type of connector, which means it
has 25-pins and D-Shaped.

RJ 11: This is the Phone (old) or Modem Port. It looks a lot skinnier than the
RJ45

RJ45: This is usually for ethernet connection and looks similar to old phone
(telephone) connector.

Audio (I/8”) Cluster: This is also called the I/O Ports. It is made up of
Three 8-inch Jacks. It is also known as the 1/8” (inch) connector because
of the size of what is inputted in. They are usually Three,

- Microphone
- Speaker
- Line-In: sending in audio form another source like a piano

SVGA: This is a 15-pins DB Connector and is also known as the Three-

Rows Connector unlike the Serial or Parallel which is known as the 2-
Rows Connector. It is mostly used to connect displays.
 I/O Newer Ports
PS/2 (Newer): This is a combination/upgrade of the PS/2 connector used for
connecting old keyboard or mouse

USB: They come in three types, 1,2,3 and the 3.0 is usually blue or purple.
The Main difference between the three types is the speed which is something
to take note of. It has the Solid and Hallow Area.

DVI: A newer display port and is usually white to differentiate it from the
SVGA which is usually Blue. The “D” Stands for Digital and is usually for
monitors.

HDMI Connector: This is another HD (Digital) format for exporting video,

usually for TV-Out

Optical Audio: Newer version for Digital Audio and allow to output digital
audio alongside the HDMI

eSATA: This is an External SATA port for connecting an external drive

DisplayPort: This is another way to connect display (monitor)

Some newer Motherboard has an Antenna for WIFI connection.

Front-Panel Connectors
In front of the CPU, you can find some of the other connectors apart from
the one above which are also called the Back-Panel Connectors there we
have the following:

IEEE 1394 (Firewire): This is the Firewire core and nowadays it is mostly
used for camera and camcorders then previously when it was faster than
USB. There are also the different types which is the a (400) and b (800) for
the speed and can’t be differentiated by looks.

It is called 1394 because it is the code specified by IEEE- the vendor-

neutral farm that specifies certain things in electronics.

SD/Multimedia Cards: This is used for plugging in SD / Multimedia

Cards.

On the Front-Panel we can also see some other things like the:

- Power Switch: For powering on the computer

- Soft-Reset Switch: For resetting the computer
- Light Indicators: Used to know if the computer is powered, is running
and some other indicators.
Adapters and Converters
This provides connection between two incompatible interfaces, making them
interoperable.

An adapter connects two incompatible interfaces without changing the form

of the medium passing through it. It can be known as a Plug-and-Play
because it does not need any software or downloads to work, only needs to
be connected to work.

A converter not only connects two incompatible interfaces but also converts
the form of medium passing through it.

DVI (Digital Visual Interface) to HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia

Interface): These bi-directional adapters allow you to do the following:

- Connect a computer with a DVI port to a new monitor, an HDTV, or a

projector with an HDMI port
- Connect a monitor with a DVI port to a computer, a Blu-ray player, a TV
box, or a game console with an HDMI port
- DVI doesn’t support audio when connecting to an HDMI port, so the
audio has to be transferred using a sperate cable
- HDMI source components and displays support DVI-D signaling to
promote interoperability between DVI-D and HDMI devices

USB (Universal Serial Bus) A to USB (Universal Serial Bus) B: This is

used for connecting USB A to USB B and has the following:

- The USB A connector is the type-A connector, and the USB B is the
type-B connector.
- The type-A connector has an elongated rectangular cross-section,
whereas the type-B connector has a square-like-cross-section.
- A USB cable may have a type-A and type-B connector on both ends
allowing for conversion between these connectors on the same cable.

USB to Ethernet: It is used to connect ethernet cable to USB. It has the

following:

- One end of the adapter plugs into the USB port of your computer, and
the other end supports the Ethernet connection.
- This adapter is useful when your computer doesn’t have a dedicated
Ethernet port, and you want to physically connect it to a network using
the USB port.
DVI to VGA converter: This is used for converting DVI outputs to VGA
output. It has the following:

- A DVI-to-VGA converter converts digital DVI output from your computer

to standard analog VGA output for CRT Monitors.
- DVI being digital, and VGA being analog, the adapter converts DVI
output into analog VGA output.
- DVI-to-VGA makes your new graphics card compatible VGA monitors

Thunderbolt to DVI:

- Thunderbolt technology provides a port that carries both DisplayPort

and PCI express data.
- A Thunderbolt-to-DVI adapter allows you to connect an Apple
Thunderbolt port to a DVI display device
- This makes it compatible with min DisplayPort

PS/2 to USB:

- The PS/2-to-USB adapters lets you convert a PS@ keyboard and mouse
port on your computer to a USB port

HDMI to VGA:

- The HDMI-to-VGA converter is an active device that allows you to

convert a digital HDMI signal to an analog VGA signal
- In addition, the converter may also have a 3.5” audio port for sending
audio from the converter to the device.
- This converter is useful when you want to connect your laptop to an
older projector or monitor
- The HDMI-to-VGA converter is an active device because active
processing is required to convert high-definition content for an analog
display
- The converter is bus powered from the HDMI port so does not require
an additional power source.

Form Factors
Form factor refers to the physical size, shape, and layout of a hardware
device or component, often within an industry standard. In the technology
world, this term is commonly used to describe the design and dimensions of
devices like computers, motherboards, and smartphone screens. It is
important for compatibility and ease of installation or usage among various
components and systems.
In summary, it is a hardware design aspect that defines and prescribes the
size, shape, and other physical specifications of components, particularly in
electronics.

ATX
This Stands for Advanced Technology eXtended. eXtended because AT
used to be the main technology and was replaced by this and is the most
common form factor in motherboard.

microATX
This is similar to the ATX only difference is that it is much smaller and built
for smaller frames. It is also backward-compatible; which means you can
put a microATX into a Chassis built for a normal ATX.

ITX
This stands for Information Technology eXtended.It is built for some
higher power motherboard that can work in smaller space and as a
replacement for the ATX in some non-standard computer. It is mostly built
for HTPC (Home Theater PC)-used for plug up to tv’s... They are not just
smaller, but also use passive cooler and conserves a lot more power.

Examples of the ITX are:

- Mini-ITX: Backward Compatible with an ATX.

- Nano-ITX: It is used for rarely-built laptop by individual. It is used for
computer like set top boxes, automotives…
- Pico-ITX: This is a much smaller board and uses an active cooling,
since it is so small it actually needs its own fan. It is used for UMPC
(Ultra-Mobile PC)
- Mobile-ITX: Another addition mostly for smartphones

BTX
This stands for Balanced technology eXtended. This are for processors
that require lot more power and release lot more heat. It is usually
made for servers and high-powered computers.
 Form Factor Width Depth Identifying
Characteristics
ATX 12 inches 9.6 inches RAM slots and expansion
slots are perpendicular to
each other
microATX 9.6 inches 9.6 inches Smaller than the ATX, but
backwards-compatible
ITX 60mm to 60mm to 6.7 Designed for HTPCs,
6.7 inches inches UMPCs, and smartphones
BTX 12.8 inches 10.5 inches RAM slots and expansion
slots are parallel to each
other

Power Connectors
This is used to power the motherboard, previously we had P8 and P9 which
basically looked alike and can be inter-changed with each other connector
but doing so may damage the motherboard, there was no big difference
between them and were later replaced with the P1 connector.

Note: The cords do not look alike since there are color difference but
the slot on the motherboard where they are plugged to.

Pin Color Signal Pin Color Signal

1 Orange +3.3V 13 Orange- +3.3V
brown +3.3V
sense
2 Orange +3.3V 14 Blue -12V
3 Black Ground 14 Blue -12V
4 Red +5V 15 Black Ground
5 Black Ground 16 Green Power on
6 Red +5V 17 Black Ground
7 Black Ground 18 Black Ground
8 Grey Power good 19 Black Ground
9 Purple +5V standby 21 Red +5V
10 Yellow +12V 22 Red +5V
11 Yellow +12V 23 Red +5V
12 Orange +3.3V 24 Black Ground

BIOS
BIOS, which stands for Basic Input Output System, is software stored on
a small memory chip on the Motherboard. It's BIOS that's responsible for
the POST and therefore makes it the very first software to run when a
computer is started.

The following are the other things the BIOS does:

- Identifies, tests, and initializes system components: RAM, Storage

(internal and external), Optical Drives, CPU

CMOS
CMOS is short for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor, which is
a type of fabrication process used in the construction of various integrated
circuit (IC) chips, including the memory chip being used to store the BIOS
settings.

It is also referred to as CMOS RAM, BIOS RAM, and non-volatile BIOS

memory. While CMOS is most commonly associated with Windows
computers, Macs have a similar memory, and it's called NVRAM or PRAM.

Something to take note of is that the CMOS is Volatile, which means once
the power is off it loses it content

POST
A Power-On Self-Test (POST) is a process performed by firmware or
software routines immediately after a computer or other digital electronic
device is powered on.

Some other things the POST does are:

- Passes error on to the BIOS and User using code numbers and Audio
beeps.

- POST codes differ from vendor to vendor

Flashing the BIOS

Sometimes the BIOS can go out of date and an update is needed. Be careful
during this process not to BRICK your system during this; means turning your
computer into a “brick” not usable during this process.

Flashing the BIOS does the following:

- Erasing and rewriting the BIOS firmware (persistent memory and

code stored in it and is non-volatile)
- If you stop the process during flashing (i.e. lose power), your computer
may not be bootable
 - To flash, you download the BIOS update from internet and upload to a
bootable and boot from it to update the BIOS

Configuring the BIOS

This is the process of using your vendor-specific function to access the BIOS
settings to change or configure it.

Time and Date: After the initial system boot, the Time and Date is set and it
stays that way, but since the CMOS is volatile if the battery is dead, the
date/time will constantly reset and most be re-configured.

Boot Device Priority: This tells the BIOS which devices to boot from first
and in what order.

BIOS Password: Once set, it is maintained by the battery so you need to be

careful setting a BIOS password (speaking from exp).

Power Management: Certain Power Management Features requires BIOS

support. Like the computer going to hibernate or sleep won’t happen if the
bios does not support it.

Virtualization: Virtualization features in the OS (Operating System) must

be supported by the BIOS to function. Virtualization is the act of creating
a virtual (rather than actual) version of something at the same abstraction
level, including virtual computer hardware platforms, storage devices, and
computer network resources.

Wake-On-LAN: This allows the computer to be “woken up” through a

network message

Monitoring: The BIOS also monitors several things, including:

- Temperature
- Fan Speeds (in relation to temperature: CPU cooling and heat)
- Intrusion Detection
- Voltage
- Clock (time, speeds…)
- Bus Speed

CPU